EssentialGenealogy

REVIEWS & COMMENTS

Here are just some of the great comments and reviews Dan's books have gotten so far. We'll update this part of the site frequently to share the latest with you!

"W. Daniel Quillen's Secrets of Tracing Your Ancestors shows those new to the hobby how to begin their genealogy, while showing seasoned family historians some new tricks. Covering the basics such as organization, the best genealogical websites and how to do family group sheets, Quillen approaches his subject with passion and a touch of humor. The book also looks at features of advanced genealogy such as using professionals and writing your personal history. Most chapters feature additional resources pointing readers toward other resources."

– Family Chronicle magazine﻿

READER FEEDBACK

"I've been researching my family's history and genealogy for several years & possess other how-to materials...But I wanted a relatively slender volume which gives an up-to-date overview of the resources available on line, while providing common sense advice about how to document & organize our findings. In Mastering Online Genealogy﻿ thre are eight pages devoted just to how to select a computer, which would probably be helpful for a novice! He recommends having some sort of research plan, especially for those who tend to get "lost in the woods;" & he describes/rates various free and subscription genealogy websites, as well as outlining other resources such as local histories and the National Archives. Does the same for the available genealogy software products & provides an overview of sizing up antique photographs. The most helpful thing I learned is that there is a cobbled-together substitute for the 1890 census (whose records were substantially destroyed by fire), and that it represents about 30 percent of the U.S. population of the time. General advice is interspersed with illustrative examples from his own research. This is his 3rd Edition, published in 2014.﻿" – C. Haynie

"I just finished reading Tracing Your European Roots﻿ and I can't tell you how much it is going to help me. I have just begun researching my German ancestors and I was quite afraid of how I was going to figure it all out. W. Daniel Quillen's book gave me exactly what I needed to get the ball rolling.I have read several of his other books on genealogy and as was the case with them, I found a wealth of solid usable information with enough humor and interesting facts about his family to keep me from getting bored.

One thing I have discovered about Mr. Quillen's books is that once you've read one, you find all kinds of reasons to read the others. I have almost the entire set now and I refer back to them frequently when I need a refresher or a tip. ANother great thing about this series of books is that Quillen uses his actual experiences and results to make points and clarify sticky issues.

This book is an excellent guide for stepping out of the comfort zone (once again) and searching out those relatives from far off places." ﻿– Karen Syed﻿

"Lots of places to look for family members (in yourMastering Family, Library & Church Records book), some brand new to me. Thank you for another excellent resource for genealogy. research." – C. Johnson

"I am researching my family genealogy and had trouble with locating records of those members who had immigrated from Germany. Mastering Immigration & Naturalization Records﻿ was what I needed. It made it possible for me to locate those members who were so elusive. I definitely recommend it as a great resource for anyone experiencing the same problem." ﻿– Jillane Job﻿

"The author uses humor (in his Mastering Census & Military Records) to make the subject easy and comfortable to read. I am seriously looking at several other books by this author." – Martha Hanner

"I have a few of the Quillen's Essentials books and have always found him to be informative, authoritative, and entertaining. This volume does no less ... I find that I am still slogging through an immense amount of information thanks to the guidance and tips Mr. Quillen brought forth. I would highly recommend Mastering Census & Military Records﻿ as most Americans, I believe, probably have at least one ancestor (five in my case!) that served in the Civil War. And, of course, everyone showed up on the Census - hopefully!" ﻿– ﻿Bobby Ray Burns

"Daniel's presentation style is very warm and personal, as though he were actually sitting with you and discussing the process of effective genealogical research. Tracing Your European Roots is another in Quillen's excellent series that defines methodical and numerative steps that makes sense of the challenging and seemingly endless goal of identifying our ancestors ,,, Daniel's books are a tremendous resource that empowers your investigation with creative ideas that mitigate the roadblocks we so often encounter. I highly recommend his entire series to the beginner as well as to the advanced student of family history!" -- C. Techmeyer

"I have been researching for years, but along comes a book with suggestions I hadn't encountered or thought up. I highly recommend Secrets of Tracing your Ancestors﻿ that resides on my table in plain sight." – Betsy S. Webber

"Mastering Online Genealogy gives the essentials of basic genealogy. Using the principles the author outlines, a user should be able to get a "fast start" on tracing their family history. This is not an encyclopedia of all things genealogy, but rather a concise and easy read text with practical suggestions ... I found the author's examples of his personal experiences enlightening and novel ... This book is for the researcher who wants the basics and tools, but not a lengthy lecture!﻿" – Mary J. Lohr

[Mastering Online Genealogy﻿] is "well written, very readable, made interesting and more relevant with examples of the author's own tree. Excellent book for beginners, but also helpful for those with more experience in that it reminds you of correct methods, great resources and common pitfalls." – luvourdog commenting on the Kindle edition ﻿

"The Troubleshooter's Guide to Do-It-Yourself Genealogy is a fantastic guide that answered a lot of my questions about doing your family history. I could not put this book down and I love all of the websites that he lists, websites I didn't even know existed!" – Kisetta's roundup of genealogy books on amazon.com﻿

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"Secrets of Tracing your Ancestors﻿ is a wonderful book. It is very detailed, has a great deal of information that is presented in an easy to understand way for the beginner as well as anyone that has done this for awhile. It also has very useful websites listed, detailed information on the census data, soundex coding rules, EXCELLENT information on how to organize, etc. If I could only have one book I would want this one. Everyone should have a copy of this book!﻿ – Chiquita Hutchinson

"Your book Secrets of Tracing your Ancestors has been extremely helpful to me in a renewal of my genealogy interests." – Nancy Dailey

"I would like to thank you for writing a very informative book. There was a lot of information that I did not know about…" – Donna Perryman Moon

"Thanks for your help and for writing your excellent book!" – Laura Johnson

"... It is not only informative but entertaining. Incorporating your own experiences in brought the book to life. Again, thank you for helping me to understand the many aspects of genealogy and for supplying a roadmap to finding more information about our ancestors." – Dana L. Hager

"Of all the books I have looked at yours is the best...and you write with your heart and soul. Thanks for writing such a great book." – Karen Dredge

"I got this book out of the library, but before I was half-way through it, I decided I had to have my own copy. Lots of helpful suggestions! I'd recommend it for all new and experienced family historians." – Margaret Combs

"I started working on my family tree and was given your two books about tracing ancestors for Christmas this year. They are a gold mine of information! And the examples you give from your research experience are wonderfully helpful." – Jan McIntosh

"Had to drop you a note and let you know how much my students LOVE your books … You are a wonderful writer! One of the things my students really love is that it is like sitting down with a friend and talking. So much fun! ... I love it … So glad I have your books to offer them!! DON'T STOP WRITING!!﻿" -- Jenni Sopko﻿

MAGAZINE & BLOGGER REVIEWS﻿

Tracing Your European RootsReview by Andy PomeroyGenealogyBlog

Hot off the presses, Tracing Your European Roots is W. Daniel Quillen's fifth volume in his Essentials of Genealogy series. The Essentials series covers immigration and naturalization records, census and military records, family records, and more. European Roots serves as a basic research guide, breaking out individual countries and the available resources.The first four chapters provide the reader with the basics needed to trace any European ancestor. The basics may prove redundant for the experienced researcher. However, the subsequent chapters examine individual nations and the means to research each. In general, the book covers the following topics:

• Where to find European records• ﻿How to access European records• ﻿How to use the Internet to help you in your search• ﻿Pitfalls and issues in obtaining European records• ﻿Countries covered include England, Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, and the Czech & Slovak Republics

Quillen is a professional writer. Yet, after 20 years he can still put heart and personality into his writing. Much of the praise given to this book talks to his writing skills and his ability to express the point with clarity. Anyone ready to research those countries listed above will find some helpful hints and great starting points in this book.

Mastering Online Genealogy written by W. Daniel Quillen is a great little book packed full of helpful tips in doing online family research. This book is the first in his new Quillen’s Essentials of Genealogy series. It covers the use of computers and the Internet to successfully do your own genealogical research. He shows readers how to use the Internet as an effective genealogical research tool. He covers the following points:

Quillen states in his introduction, “Mastering Online Genealogy will help you learn (or relearn, or practice) how to use one of the greatest tools for information research and location ever created: the Internet. Daily, thousands upon thousands of documents formerly available only by expensive and time-consuming personal visits to distant locations are coming online. As you learn the techniques and sources of information in this book, you’ll be able to find and access these records in record time, and be able to find more and more of your ancestors.”

One of my favorite chapters in this book is on Government Records. He discusses topics such as Census, Birth & Death Records, Immigration & Naturalization, Military Records, and much more. This informative books has some great tips for beginners, as well as those who have been doing research for a while.

I look forward to reading all of the books in this genealogical series.

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book for my honest review. I really enjoyed reading it and will be referring to it for some great information and tips.

There is no doubt that internet research is an important part of the genealogical process. Knowing more about what genealogy websites exist and how to search them can benefit researchers over just stumbling upon relevant websites and taking a "shotgun" approach. Genealogists might be better served by consulting a book that explains how to search and where to search, in their quest to find their ancestors.

What separates Mastering Online Genealogy from other similar books about internet research is that it begins with a discussion of some of the basics of online research you should consider before you start such as primary vs secondary sources; creating a research plan; netiquette and privacy laws. One chapter focuses entirely on computers and what a genealogist needs in a computer, including the opinions of other researchers. Specific website recommendations follow after a discussion on searching and using search engines. So,Mastering Online Genealogy is not just a book about websites but an overall look at how a genealogist should incorporate online genealogy into their research. One of the benefits to beginning genealogists will be Quillen's discussion on researching newspapers that includes where to look for your ancestor in the newspaper and online sources for digitized newspapers. Other record types are also explored including World War I draft registrations and state censuses.

A fellow researcher conveyed that what he liked about Quillen's books is that the author uses examples from his own research and writes for the average person. This easy-going style makes for a quick read.

This third title in Quillen's "Essentials of Genealogy" series provides the reader with information on researching American census and military records. While this book is a short primer on these two diverse topics, it does a good job of providing beginning genealogists with the information they need to understand the records and conduct their search. The author's writing style, is reminiscent of sitting down with a friend who is welcoming and knowledgeable.

One of the aspects that I liked about this book is that Quillen explains some of the historical background to the records, something that is important and often missed by genealogists. Knowing the background and reason for the records can help i your overall understanding of them. Chapter 3, U.S. Census History, begins with a discussion of the origins of the census and then the questions asked in each of the decennial census forms, including the much anticipated 1940 census. The reader will benefit from the discussion of additional census records such as the State Censuses, Mortality Schedules, and schedules like the Slave, Military Veterans, Special Interim (1885) and Defective, Dependent , and Delinquent schedules. I was disappointed not to see mention of other schedules like the Agricultural schedules which can provide an interesting look at your ancestor's life.

The military records section of the book begins with an overview of military records and then delves into the records war by war. Quillen includes a list of wars by years to help the reader ascertain which ancestors may have left behind military records. Quillen's concern for helping the reader with their genealogy is evident in his offer to email the World War I and World War II draft registration templates to those who would like to have them electronically for reference, instead of simply printed in the book. This is just one example of the personal touches that his readers appreciate.

My hope for later titles in this series is to consider adding an appendix of information for quick reference. Quillen provides important reference information such as the questions asked in the U.S. Federal Census, states and years relating to the Mortality Schedule, information that would be great to have in an appendix where readers can easily turn to for future reference. I would have also liked to have seen a similar treatment for the State Census with a list of the states and the years they produced a census. Quillen does include a glossary at the conclusion of the book but I think an appendix with these additional resources would also benefit the reader.

While I am sure that most people would find this a beginner's book, there is no doubt there may be information contained within that would be new to more intermediate researchers. One example is the mention of the Deaf Couples census schedule. I have seen almost no discussion of that census schedule prior to reading this book. Quillen also writes about what state's World War II draft registrations (the old man's draft) were destroyed and will never be available in databases, which is one that every genealogist should be made aware of.

Quillen's Essentials series meets the need for simple, concise information about record sets, where to find them and how to research them. These are books that every beginning genealogist or genealogist new to a specific type of research should take a look at. I look forward to the additional titles in this series.﻿

Mastering Online GenealogyReview by GenealogyBlog

W. Daniel Quillen is planning a series of Genealogy books covering immigration and naturalization records, census and military records, family records, and more. He has already written two books on genealogy research. Now he presents the first in is intended series for “Essentials of Genealogy,”Mastering Online Genealogy. Computers and technology have always been readily accepted and used by the genealogical community. The Internet has become a vital tool for research. Quillen wrote this book to help researchers use the Internet as an effective research tool. Some of the “key points” in the book are:

While the table of contents for this book is seemingly sparse, the individual chapters are full of subsections filled with useful information researchers can use to further their Internet skills. For example, chapter 4 is on “searching.” Sounds simple, but the chapter has 23 subsections covering everything from boolean operators and search engines to wedding announcements and social pages on through dead websites. These chapters are full of information relative to successfully research. Quillen even introduces the readers to his family. His ancestors and own family research experiences are used as examples to demonstrate his research methodologies.﻿